


Worth It

by aroseofstone (Adams1422)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8035564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adams1422/pseuds/aroseofstone
Summary: The Doctor gets sick and Rose spends a rare night looking after him.





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goingtothetardis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/gifts).



> This is for Heidi's birthday!! I'm sorry that it's such a little thing, but I hope you like it still! A huge thanks to Britt for beta'ing this for me so late last night! Happy birthday, Heidi!!!!

The Time Lord equivalent of a cold. That’s what the Doctor had told her. He muttered something about just needing a few days in bed to be back in tip-top shape before he collapsed on his bed and fell right to sleep. 

Rose, who had never seen the Doctor so much as sneeze, had spent a few minutes rooted to the spot in panic. She felt the TARDIS send her a wave of comfort, and it snapped her out of her daze. Certainly, if the TARDIS wasn’t worried about him, Rose shouldn’t be either.

She took a deep breath and turned around, walking to the galley. Once there, she made him some soup, tea, and a cup of his favorite juice. When she got back to his room, she saw that the TARDIS had put some medicine on his bedside table. Smiling, she put the tray down and sat beside him on the bed. She reached out and brushed his fringe gently away from his face. His eyelids fluttered open, and glassy eyes tried their best to focus on her. A fuzzy smile crept across his face when he registered who she was.

“G’morning, Rose,” he slurred. 

“It isn’t quite morning yet,” she said, laughing. “Here, take this. It’ll help you feel better.”

“You help me feel better,” he said, opening his mouth when she presented the spoon full of medicine to him. She blushed, shushing him and giving him the purplish syrup. When it touched his tongue, his nose scrunched up in displeasure. 

“Want some juice to chase it down?” she asked, holding the cup up in offering. 

He nodded enthusiastically, reaching out for it with an unsteady hand. She gave it over hesitantly, hoping that he wouldn’t spill all over himself. Once he finished taking a few sips from it, she took the cup and out it back down on the tray. He smiled at her again, settling back down into the bed.

“Wait! Before you fall back to sleep, let’s get you changed. You can’t be comfortable in your suit and shoes.”

He grumbled, sitting up with some difficulty. Twisting, he dangled his legs over the side of the bed. He swayed slightly, dizzy from the movement. Rose reached out, steadying him with a furrowed brow.

“Sit right there. I’ll be right back,” she promised, patting his shoulder. She disappeared into his closet, reentering moments later with his pajamas in hand. She knelt down beside him, quickly unlacing his trainers and slipping them off. She looked up at him, a blush creeping across her face. He stared down at her in confusion, clearly having no idea what she was thinking.

“Think you can manage to change clothes without me?” she asks, cheeks still stained red.

“Oh,” he said, blinking. He nodded, and Rose got up and rushed out of the room once more. She stayed right next to the door, listening for sounds of trouble. He struggled loudly for a bit, cursing all the buttons on his clothes, and she giggled. Soon enough, though, he called to her that he was done getting dressed. Rose came back in and helped him get settled under the covers. 

“Thanks for taking care of me, Rose,” he whispered just before drifting off to sleep once again. Rose smiled, settling down into the cushy armchair that the TARDIS had provided for her. She picked up the book she’d been reading the night before (which the TARDIS had kindly placed next to his medicine) and settled in, ready to watch over him all night.

______________________________________

After a while, Rose was forced to admit wasn’t going to make any progress with this book tonight. She’d been trying to read the same page for half an hour now, but her attention kept drifting to the Doctor. There was something about the openness of his face, the vulnerability there that made her feel privileged to be here tonight. She had a strong feeling that very few people had ever seen him this way in his long 900 years of life, and she wanted to cherish it. 

Not that she _wanted_ him to be sick, of course. But she couldn’t deny that she was enjoying watching him this way. 

He stirred, smiling faintly and murmuring her name in his sleep. Rose bit her bottom lip, sinking down further into the chair. She placed her book on the table beside her and closed her eyes. She felt a gentle pressure _whoosh_ across her, and her eyes fluttered open to see that the TARDIS had given her the quilt from her room. She pulled it up to her chin, snuggling down to get a few minutes of sleep.

______________________________________

At some point in the night, the Doctor had woken up and convinced Rose to get into bed with him. He had refused to go back to sleep with her in the chair for one moment longer. There was simply no arguing with a sick, petulant Doctor, so she gave in more quickly than she normally would have. And thus, Rose found herself in the Doctor’s bed for the very first time. If she was honest with herself, this wasn’t exactly how she imagined her first time in his bed would go. Looking over at his peaceful face, she felt no urge to complain. 

When the Doctor flopped over, throwing an arm over her waist and tucking his face against her neck, she wondered whether this Time Lord cold was contagious to humans. Then he pulled her closer to him, and sighed against her skin. 

Getting sick just might be worth it.


End file.
